Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 11, 2026

2003 MLS SuperDraft

The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer.

Last revised
Jun 11, 2026
Read time
≈ 11 min
Length
2,601 w
Citations
70
Source
Wikipedia ↗
2003 MLS SuperDraft
General information
SportSoccer
DateJanuary 17, 2003
LocationKansas City, Missouri
NetworkFox Sports World
Overview
60 total selections
First selectionAlecko Eskandarian, D.C. United

The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer.

Player selection

The MetroStars selected Ricardo Clark second overall. A 3x MLS All-Star, he was named to the 2006 MLS Best XI. Clark earned 34 caps with the US Men's National Team and was selected to the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. source ↗
The MetroStars selected Mike Magee 4th overall. in 2013, he was won the Major League Soccer MVP and was named to the MLS Best XI. source ↗
San Jose selected Todd Dunivant 6th overall. He was named to the 2011 MLS Best XI. source ↗
Key
* Denotes a player contracted under the Project-40 program
^ Denotes player who has been selected to an MLS All-Star Game
§ Denotes a player who won the MLS Rookie of the Year
† Denotes player who has been selected for an MLS Best XI team
~ Denotes a player who won the MLS MVP

Round One

Pick # MLS team Player Position Affiliation
1 D.C. United Alecko Eskandarian*^ F University of Virginia
2 MetroStars Ricardo Clark*^† M Furman University
3 Chicago FireR1 trade 1 Nate Jaqua*^ F University of Portland
4 MetroStarsR1 trade 2 Mike Magee*^†~ F Nike Project-40
5 D.C. UnitedR1 trade 3 David Stokes* D University of North Carolina
6 San Jose Earthquakes Todd Dunivant D Stanford University
7 Columbus Crew Diego Walsh M Southern Methodist University
8 Los Angeles GalaxyR1 trade 4 Guillermo Gonzalez* M Nike Project-40
9 New England RevolutionR1 trade 5 Pat Noonan^ F Indiana University
10 Dallas BurnR1 trade 6 Shavar Thomas D University of Connecticut

Round one trades

  1. #3: Kansas City Wizards → Chicago Fire. 2003-01-07: Chicago Fire acquired this first-round pick from Kansas City Wizards in exchange for forward Josh Wolff.ref 1
  2. #4: Chicago Fire → Dallas Burn → MetroStars. 2003-01-17: MetroStars acquired this first-round pick from Dallas Burn in exchange for midfielder Brad Davis.ref 2 On 2002-05-18, Dallas had acquired this pick from Chicago Fire in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft and an undisclosed amount of salary cap relief.ref 3
  3. #5: Dallas Burn → MetroStars → D.C. United. 2002-12-23: D.C. United acquired this first-round pick, defender Mike Petke, and an allocation from MetroStars in exchange for defender Eddie Pope, midfielder Richie Williams, and forward Jaime Moreno.ref 4 On 2002-03-13, MetroStars had acquired this pick and midfielder Winston Griffiths from Dallas Burn in exchange for goalkeeper D.J. Countess and a second-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft.ref 5
  4. #8: Colorado Rapids → Los Angeles Galaxy. 2001-04-02: Los Angeles Galaxy acquired this first-round pick from Colorado Rapids as part of a trade for defender Robin Fraser.ref 6
  5. #9: New England Revolution → Miami Fusion → New England Revolution. 2001-08-16: New England Revolution re-acquired this first-round pick and acquired defender Leo Cullen from Miami Fusion in exchange for forward Johnny Torres and midfielder Shaker Asad.ref 7 On 2001-06-20, Miami had acquired this pick and defender Brian Dunseth from New England in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft and defender Jay Heaps.ref 8
  6. #10: Los Angeles Galaxy → Dallas Burn. 2003-01-17: Dallas Burn acquired this first-round pick from Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for selections in the second-round and sixth-round.ref 2

Round Two

The MetroStars selected Eddie Gaven12th overall. He was named to the 2004 MLS Best XI. source ↗
The Earthquakes selected Arturo Álvarez 13th overall. With the National Team from El Salvador, he earned 46 caps. source ↗
Pick # MLS team Player Position Affiliation
11 D.C. United Brian Carroll* M Wake Forest University
12 MetroStarsR2 trade 1 Eddie Gaven*^† M Nike Project-40
13 San Jose EarthquakesR2 trade 2 Arturo Alvarez* M Nike Project-40
14 D.C. UnitedR2 trade 3 Doug Warren GK Clemson University
15 Dallas Burn Jason Thompson* F Eastern Illinois University
16 Los Angeles GalaxyR2 trade 4 Scot Thompson D UCLA
17 MetroStarsR2 trade 5 Tim Regan D Bradley University
18 Chicago FireR2 trade 6 Damani Ralph^§ F University of Connecticut
19 Los Angeles GalaxyR2 trade 7 Arturo Torres M Loyola Marymount University
20 Los Angeles GalaxyR2 trade 8 Ricky Lewis* D Clemson University

Round two trades

  1. #12: MetroStars → Dallas Burn → Los Angeles Galaxy → MetroStars. 2003-01-17: MetroStars acquired this second-round pick from Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.ref 9 Earlier in the day, Los Angeles had acquired this pick and a sixth-round pick from Dallas Burn in exchange for a first-round selection.ref 9 On 2002-03-13, Dallas had acquired this pick and goalkeeper D.J. Countess from MetroStars in exchange for midfielder Winston Griffiths and a first-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft.ref 5
  2. #13: Kansas City Wizards → D.C. United → Kansas City Wizards → San Jose Earthquakes. 2003-01-17: San Jose Earthquakes acquired this second-round pick and a conditional selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft from Kansas City Wizards in exchange for defender Jimmy Conrad.ref 10 On 2002-07-29, Kansas City had re-acquired this selection and a third-round pick in the 2004 SuperDraft from D.C. United in exchange for a Discovery Pick.ref 11 On 2002-02-10, D.C. United had acquired future considerations, which became this pick, from Kansas City in exchange for defender Carey Talley.ref 12
  3. #14: Chicago Fire → D.C. United. 2002-07-18: D.C. United acquired this second-round pick from Chicago Fire in exchange for defender Orlando Perez.ref 13
  4. #16: San Jose Earthquakes → Los Angeles Galaxy. 2003-01-17: Los Angeles Galaxy acquired this second-round pick from San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for forward Brian Mullan.ref 9
  5. #17: Columbus Crew → MetroStars. 2003-01-17: MetroStars acquired this second-round pick from Columbus Crew in exchange for defender Nelson Akwari and a second-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.ref 14
  6. #18: Colorado Rapids → Chicago Fire. 2002-05-09: Chicago Fire acquired this second-round pick from Colorado Rapids in exchange for midfielder Raúl Palacios.ref 15
  7. #19: New England Revolution → Los Angeles Galaxy. 2003-01-17: Los Angeles Galaxy acquired this second-round pick and midfielder Alex Pineda Chacón from New England Revolution in exchange for goalkeeper Matt Reis.ref 9
  8. #20: Los Angeles Galaxy → D.C. United → Los Angeles Galaxy. 2002-08-15: Los Angeles Galaxy re-acquired this second-round pick, originally a conditional selection, from D.C. United in exchange for forward Henry Zambrano.ref 16 On 2002-01-12, D.C. United had acquired this pick and first-round and second-round selections in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft from Los Angeles in exchange for forward Chris Albright and a second-round pick in the 2002 SuperDraft.ref 17

Round Three

Pick # MLS team Player Position Affiliation
21 Dallas BurnR3 trade 1 David Comfort GK University of Virginia
22 New England RevolutionR3 trade 2 Dimelon Westfield F Clemson University
23 San Jose EarthquakesR3 trade 3 Roger Levesque F Stanford University
24 Chicago Fire Logan Pause* M University of North Carolina
25 Chicago FireR3 trade 4 Ryan Mack M Indiana University
26 Chicago FireR3 trade 5 Phil Swenda F Seton Hall University
27 Colorado RapidsR3 trade 6 Jason Cole D St. Louis University
28 Colorado Rapids Alex Blake F Williams College
29 New England Revolution Kyle Singer GK Boston College
30 MetroStarsR3 trade 7 Tim Glowienka D University of South Carolina

Round three trades

  1. #21: D.C. United → Dallas Burn. 2002-03-13: Dallas Burn acquired this third-round pick from D.C. United in exchange for forward Ali Curtis.ref 18
  2. #22: MetroStars → New England Revolution. 2002-02-10: New England Revolution acquired this third-round pick from MetroStars in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft.ref 19
  3. #23: Kansas City Wizards → San Jose Earthquakes. 2001-03-13: San Jose Earthquakes acquired this third-round selection, originally a conditional pick, and a second-round selection in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft, also originally a conditional selection, from Kansas City Wizards in exchange for defender Mike Burns.ref 20
  4. #25: Dallas Burn → Chicago Fire. 2001-03-27: Chicago Fire acquired this third-round pick from Dallas Burn in exchange for goalkeeper Chris Snitko.ref 21
  5. #26: San Jose Earthquakes → Dallas Burn → Chicago Fire. 2002-05-18: Chicago Fire acquired this third-round pick and an undisclosed amount of salary cap relief from Dallas Burn in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft.ref 3 On 2002-02-10, Dallas had acquired this pick from San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft.ref 22
  6. #27: Columbus Crew → Colorado Rapids. 2003-01-17: Colorado Rapids acquired this third-round pick from Columbus Crew in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft and a third-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.ref 14
  7. #30: Los Angeles Galaxy → MetroStars. 2002-04-20: MetroStars acquired this third-round pick, originally a conditional pick, from Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for midfielder Winston Griffiths.ref 23

Round Four

The Chicago Fire selected Rob Friend 35th overall despite him previously signing a contract with Norwegian club Moss FK. He would play in Major League Soccer in 2014. He earned 32 caps with the Canada Men's National Team. source ↗
Pick # MLS team Player Position Affiliation
31 D.C. United Hayden Woodworth M Messiah College
32 MetroStars Kenny Arena D University of Virginia
33 Kansas City Wizards Taylor Graham D Stanford University
34 Dallas BurnR4 trade 1 Mike Tranchilla F Creighton University
35 Chicago FireR4 trade 2 Rob Friend F UC Santa Barbara
36 San Jose Earthquakes Josh Saunders^ GK University of California
37 Columbus Crew Michael Ritch F Auburn University
38 Colorado Rapids Matt Crawford M University of North Carolina
39 San Jose EarthquakesR4 trade 3 Jamil Walker M Santa Clara University
40 Los Angeles Galaxy Hamid Mehreioskouei F Bradley University

Round four trades

  1. #34: Chicago Fire → Dallas Burn. 2002-01-15: Dallas Burn acquired this fourth-round pick, originally a conditional selection, and a sixth-round pick in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft from Chicago Fire in exchange for forward Aleksey Korol and midfielder Miguel Saavedra.ref 3
  2. #35: Dallas Burn → Chicago Fire. 2003-01-17: Chicago Fire acquired this fourth-round pick from Dallas Burn in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.ref 24
  3. #39: New England Revolution → San Jose Earthquakes. 2002-07-30: San Jose Earthquakes acquired this fourth-round pick from New England Revolution in exchange for salary budget relief.ref 25

Round Five

The Kansas City Wizards selected Jack Jewsbury 43 overall. He was selected to the 2011 MLS All-Star Game. source ↗
Pick # MLS team Player Position Affiliation
41 D.C. United John Swann D Indiana University
42 MetroStars Jacob LeBlanc* M University of Virginia
43 Kansas City Wizards Jack Jewsbury^ M St. Louis University
44 Chicago Fire Chad Dombrowski D University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
45 Dallas Burn Michael Mariscalco M Butler University
46 San Jose Earthquakes Johanes Maliza M Stanford University
47 Columbus Crew Guy Abrahamson M Rutgers University
48 Colorado Rapids Casey Schmidt F Boston College
49 MetroStarsR5 trade 1 Marco Vélez M Barry University
50 Los Angeles Galaxy Jimmy Frazelle M UCLA

Round five trades

  1. #49: New England Revolution → MetroStars. 2003-01-17: MetroStars acquired this fifth-round pick from New England Revolution in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.ref 24

Round Six

Pick # MLS team Player Position Affiliation
51 D.C. United Michael Behonick GK American University
52 Dallas BurnR6 trade 1 Andy Rosenband F Ohio State University
53 Kansas City Wizards Kevin Friedland D Southern Methodist University
54 Chicago Fire Ryan Futagaki M UCLA
55 Los Angeles GalaxyR6 trade 2 Joe Barton GK Cal State-Northridge
56 San Jose Earthquakes Frank Sanfilippo M San Jose State University
57 New England RevolutionR6 trade 3 PASS
58 Columbus CrewR6 trade 4 Jake Traeger M Ohio State University
59 D.C. UnitedR6 trade 5 PASS
60 Kansas City WizardsR6 trade 6 Byron Carmichael F Marshall University

Round six trades

  1. #52: MetroStars → Dallas Burn. 2002-02-10: Dallas Burn acquired this sixth-round pick from MetroStars in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft.ref 19
  2. #55: Dallas Burn → Los Angeles Galaxy. 2003-01-17: Los Angeles Galaxy acquired this sixth-round pick and a second-round pick from Dallas Burn in exchange for a first-round selection.ref 2
  3. #57: Columbus Crew → New England Revolution. 2002-02-10: New England Revolution acquired this sixth-round pick from Columbus Crew in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft.ref 19
  4. #58: Colorado Rapids → Columbus Crew. 2003-01-17: Columbus Crew acquired this sixth-round pick and a third-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft from Colorado Rapids in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2003 SuperDraft.ref 14
  5. #59: Pick originally belonged to New England Revolution. Info needed on how D.C. acquired this pick.
  6. #60: Los Angeles Galaxy → Kansas City Wizards. 2003-01-17: Kansas City Wizards acquired this sixth-round pick from Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.ref 10

Notable undrafted players

Player Pos Affiliation Played in MLS Notes
Troy Perkins GK University of Evansville 2004–07; 2010–15 7 caps with U.S. national team; 2006 MLS Best XI
References

References

  1. "Fire Trades Wolff to Kansas City" (Press release). Chicago Fire. January 7, 2003. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  2. "Burn Lands 2002 Rookie of the Year Finalist Brad Davis in Draft Day Deal" (Press release). Dallas Burn. January 17, 2003. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  3. "All-Time Transactions; Chicago Fire Media Guide" (PDF). Chicago Fire. February 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  4. "MetroStars trade for United's Pope". Sports Illustrated. December 23, 2002. Retrieved September 19, 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. "MetroStars acquire Winston Griffiths, No. 1 pick in 2003 from Dallas" (Press release). NY/NJ MetroStars. March 13, 2002. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  6. "Galaxy on the Clock for MLS Superdraft" (Press release). Los Angeles Galaxy. January 13, 2003. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  7. "August 17, 2001 Transactions". New York Times (Press release). August 17, 2001. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  8. "June 21, 2001 Transactions". New York Times (Press release). June 21, 2001. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  9. "Galaxy Drafts Local Phenom" (Press release). Los Angeles Galaxy. January 17, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  10. "Wizards Acquire Jimmy Conrad, Draft Four Others in 2003 MLS Super Draft" (Press release). Kansas City Wizards. January 17, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  11. "Wizards Attendance Showing Growth for Fourth Consecutive Year" (Press release). Kansas City Wizards. July 29, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  12. "United's Talley Traded to Wizards". Associated Press. February 10, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  13. "D.C. United Trades Orlando Perez" (Press release). D.C. United. July 18, 2002. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  14. "Crew Drafts Walsh out of SMU" (Press release). Columbus Crew. January 17, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  15. "Ramos Ready to Hang 'Em Up" (Press release). Major League Soccer. May 14, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  16. "Galaxy Sends Henry Zambrano to D.C." (Press release). Los Angeles Galaxy. August 15, 2002. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  17. "Chris Albright Player Page". Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  18. "United Gets Curtis From Burn". Associated Press. March 13, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  19. "Major League Soccer Draft - 2002". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  20. "MLS Transactions Update (March 19, 2001)". Soccer America. March 19, 2001. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  21. "MLS Notes". Soccer Times. March 28, 2001. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
  22. "MLS 2002 SuperDraft". Sports Illustrated. February 10, 2002. Archived from the original on February 11, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  23. "Galaxy on the Clock for MLS Superdraft" (Press release). Los Angeles Galaxy. January 13, 2003. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  24. "Major League Soccer Draft - 2003". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  25. "San Jose Earthquakes Acquire 2003 MLS SuperDraft Pick From New England Revolution" (Press release). San Jose Earthquakes. July 30, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2013.